Sam’s
Comments
(group member since Jul 23, 2010)
Sam’s
comments
from the Reading with Style group.
Showing 21-40 of 205
nsfancy wrote: "If I read Inferno by Dante Alighieri will that be sufficient for 20.5 or would I need to do the entire work?"Any of the three parts of The Divine Comedy can be read separately to complete the "epic" task.
Joanna wrote: "Sam wrote: "Joanna wrote: "A lot of books of poetry have fewer than 100 pages. Would it be okay to read two books by the same author for the task?"Absolutely."
What about two books by diffe..."
Poems and plays need to be by the same author if combined for a 100+ page count.
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "It's a busy time for you and we're all jumping in here at once. I think you might have overlooked my question re: James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights. Does this work..."When I came up with "Spring Cleaning," I decided that I would use Amazon's classification system to make judgment calls...it's categorized as General Non-Fiction->Government. So I'm going to say "no" for biography.
Coralie wrote: "The cyberpunk list includes The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. I have recently read the first half of this Shadow & Claw although I didn't claim it for any RwS tasks..."Is your version a combined edition or are 3-4 separate from the first like the one you linked? In either case, I would use the number of pages you actually read as the page count.
Joanna wrote: "A lot of books of poetry have fewer than 100 pages. Would it be okay to read two books by the same author for the task?"Absolutely.
Joanna wrote: "Another question: how will combos with 10.1 work? I know 10.1 can't be repeated, but can we use it for combos with other tasks (i.e., combo points available for books that fit tasks this challeng..."10.1 won't work as a combo for any other tasks.
The general rule of if a writer can be considered a poet for the purposes of this task is whether or not he or she has published at least two collections of poetry. If just one collection, no dice. Two or more, they can be included in this task.
If a book has a subtitle, it must be included in the ten-syllable count.
Potjy wrote: "Great challenge. Thank you. But please define "Supernatural", as opposed to "Science Fiction" and "Fantasy"."Check out these links for sci-fi and fantasy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasy
For our purposes here, "supernatural" means books that feature ghosts, vampires, werewolves, witches etc. in a macabre way. Gandalf and Harry Potter are not macabre (i.e., fantasy), whereas The Dresden Files and the Sookie Stackhouse books are.
Norma wrote: "Am I on the right track with the books I have choosen so far?15.1 Mystery - Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
15.2 Science Fiction - Mockingjay (Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins
15..."
That all works!
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I'd just like to pop in here and say it's good to see Liz on here as a moderator. I don't know when this happened - maybe months ago and I didn't notice. Thanks, Liz! (And, of course, as always, th..."The formal announcement is coming as soon as I get the poll posted, which will be later today. We really like having her around too. I realized this morning that I had posted the tasks and not anywhere to ask questions about them. I come here at lunchtime, and there they are. It's such a nice feeling.
1. Combo (5 points): Read a book in for one task that could have applied to another task as well. If a book will applies to one other tasks, you will receive 5 style points. If it applies to two other tasks, you will receive 10 points...and so on.2. Series (5 points): Read a book to complete a task that is part of a series and receive 5 points. Read a book from that same series to complete another task and receive 10 points...and so on.
3. Canon (10 points): Distinguishing literature from popular fiction is an imperfect science, but we're trying anyway. This spring, you'll receive 10 extra points when you read a work of literature in the Western canon to complete a task. We'll be using famous uber-critic Harold Bloom's Western Canon as the arbiter...Any work that is listed here will qualify.
4. Oldies (5 to 15 points): Put down the bestseller list and read something with a bit more mileage on it. Based on a book's original publication date, style points will be awarded based on the following scale:-
-25 to 75 years old: 5 points (1935-1985)
-76 to 150 years old: 10 points (1860-1934)
-151+ years old: 15 points (1859 and older)
5. Jumbo (5 to 25 points): Receive extra points for reading books according to the following scale:
-500 Pages: 5 Points
-700 Pages: 10 Points
-800 Pages: 15 Points
-900 Pages: 20 Points
-1000+ Pages: 25 Points
Completion Bonuses:
1. RwS Finish (100 points): Complete all Reading with Style tasks.
2. Mega Finish (200 points): Complete all Reading with Style tasks and Reading through Time tasks.
A note on YA: If you want to claim style points for a YA novel, you can do so--with one catch: You must have read a YA novel with a Lexile score of at least 700. Not familiar with Lexile? Want to find out if your book has a high enough score...go here.
20.1 - AlliterationRead a book whose title has words that begin with the same consonant or vowel sound. Ex. Rabbit Run, Bag of Bones
20.2 - Rhymes
Read a book that meets one of the following criteria:
A) - A word in the title rhymes with the author's name
B) - A word in the title rhymes with another word in a title
C) - One of the author's name rhymes with another of the author's name
20.3 - Iambic Pentameter
Read a book whose title has ten syllables
20.4 - A Poet's Non-Poetry
Read a book of non-poetry by a poet.
20.5 - Epic Poetry
Read an work of epic poetry. Ex. The Odyssey, The Iliad, Paradise Lost, The Aeneid
20.6 - Pre-20th Century Poetry
Read a book of poetry written before 1900.
20.7 - Post-19th Century Poetry
Read a book of poetry written after 1900.
20.8 - Liz's Choice: Quotable Quotes
Read a book that deliberately quotes another work in the main title (subtitles are discounted). Examples can be found here. Be aware, however, that not every book on this list qualifies; Something Rotten paraphrases the quote it references and Absalom Absalom! is a reference to the biblical story, not a quote from it.
20.9 - Krista's Choice:
March 1st, 2011 marks the 50th Anniversary of President John Kennedy's Executive Order creating the Peace Corps. In honor of 50 years of volunteers helping people throughout the world:
A) Read a book by a Peace Corps alumni. Author lists: Notable Alumni or Peace Corps Writers
B) Read a book set in one of the current Peace Corps host countries. Host Countries List (Only current host countries allowed -- Countries with an "X" in the final column can't be used.)
C) Read a non-fiction book about volunteering in a foreign country. Ex. Three Cups of Tea, Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal
When posting points, please include the option chosen, and if option B is used -- include the country the book takes place in.
20.10 - Sam's Choice: Potent Potables
If you're like me, you've probably had a book hanging around for the last several challenges that hasn't fit or you just haven't gotten to. Well, read it...but only if it doesn't fit any of the other Reading with Style 10 or 20-point tasks. This task cannot be repeated.
(Note...the title of the task is a non-sequitur.)
10.1 - Reduce, Reuse, RecycleIn celebration of Earth Day, select your favorite task (or the one that you didn't get to) from the Winter Challenge. (Task cannot be repeated.)
10.2 - Women's History Month
To honor Women's History Month, read a book discussed in Elaine Showalter's history of American women writers, A Jury of Her Peers.
10.3 - Cyberpunk!
You can't keep a good task down...The first PC virus, Brain, started to spread on January 19, 1986. Read a book from The Cyberpunk Reading List.
http://people.cs.ubc.ca/~harrison/Cyb...
10.4 - Say what?
March 14 is International Ask a Question Day. Read a book with “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” “why,” or “how” in the title.
10.5 - I'm Tellin'
May 2 is Brothers and Sisters Day- Read a book with "Brother(s)" or "Sister(s)" in the title. The prefix "step-" and suffix "-hood" work. Please ask about others. ex. Little Brother, Sister Carrie, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
10.6 - Lab Lit
Albert Einstein was born March 14, 1879 and he died April 18, 1955. In honor of this great scientist, read a novel in which a scientist plays a major role. Examples: Prodigal Summer (biologist), Talk Nerdy to Me (chemical engineer), Cannery Row (marine biologist), Jurassic Park or Mendel's Dwarf (geneticists), etc
10.7 - Karen's 3rd Place Task
Scrabble! The first letters of all the words in the title and author's name are your scrabble titles. If you can form at least one word of at least 3 letters with your tiles, then you can read the book. You do not have to use all of your tiles. Required: Include the set of tiles the title and author gives you and the word or words you formed. Just like in Scrabble, no proper names can be used.
Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo
Tiles: b-o-s-r-r
Word: robs
(Task cannot be repeated or used for combo points)
10.8 - Coralie's 2nd Place Task
Read a book from the list of Australia's Popular Penguins.
10.9 - Colleen's 1st Place Task
Pi Day (March 14): Read a book that has a title containing a word beginning with the letters "Pi" examples: Life of Pi, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Pickwick Papers
10.10 - Group Reads
Room - Emma Donoghue (Krista)
A Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin (Sam)
The Summer Book - Tove Jansson (Liz)
You Know When the Men Are Gone - Siobhan Fallon (Colleen)
Tigana - Guy Gavriel Kay (Coralie)
Mother's Milk - Edward St. Aubyn (Karen)
Rebecca - Daphe du Maurier(nsfancy)
15.1 - 15.10 - Spring Cleaning Sub-Challenge
Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Ok, a couple of questions:15.10 General Non-Fiction - Is this anything that wouldn't fit the Biography or Memoir category?
15.7 Drama - Not sure what is meant by this. Are you thinking alo..."
15.10 - Any non-fiction other than biography or memoir
15.7 - Plays, screenplays, scripts.
Post your questions about "Spring Cleaning" or "Does X book fit in X genre?" here.
Scoring:Each task is worth 15 points; however, you can receive bonus points in two different ways:
1) Read a book written prior to 1980, receive 5 bonus points.
2) Read a book with more than 500 pages, receive 5 bonus points.
A bonus of 150 points will be rewarded for anyone who completes all of the "Spring Cleaning" tasks.
The "But Who's Counting?" bonus:
For those who want an extra challenge this season, this is for you. After completing "Spring Cleaning" and the 20 Reading with Style tasks, come back and begin "Spring Cleaning" again. You won't receive any more points, but if you finish "Spring Cleaning" a second time, your name and score will be taken off the Readerboard...and your name will be placed in the Reading with Style "Hall of Fame"!
Has your TBR shelf become unmanageable? Well, this spring, we're giving you the perfect excuse to dust off some of those books you've always meant to get to but never have. "Spring Cleaning" is about reading ten books from ten different genres. The categories are...15.1 - Mystery/Thriller
15.2 - Science Fiction
15.3 - Fantasy
15.4 - Historical Fiction
15.5 - Supernatural
15.6 - Romance OR Horror
15.7 - Drama
15.8 - Biography (also autobiography)
15.9 - Memoir
15.10 - General Non-Fiction
Each "Spring Cleaning" task can be completed only once, and tasks can be completed in any order.
nsfancy wrote: "Sam wrote: "colleen wrote: "Does Michel Faber count for The Netherlands? He was born there but later moved to Australia then Scotland. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_F..."Since he writes ..."
I'll allow it.
